The National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton appears to be in financial trouble and a local congressman said this week he’s investigating complaints of mismanagement. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, released his Wednesday letter to NAHF board chairman William R. Harris Jr. stating his office has “received complaints of financial mismanagement and misappropriation of NAHF resources and assets.” Turner requested that the organization turn over an extensive list of documents dating back to 2001. His announcementcomes after the hall’s recent controversial decision to move its 2017 enshrinement dinner from Dayton to Fort Worth, Texas, in efforts to boost fundraising. Harris issued a statement Wednesday that he has “complete confidence in our finances,” which have undergone independent audits, the Dayton Daily News reported. As a result of the board’s decision to hold its annual event in Texas, “it is not unexpected that we would undergo extra scrutiny,” Harris stated.
Turner told the Dayton Daily News the NAHF has worked with him in recent years amid financial struggles that threatened to close down the organization, which is based at Dayton’s National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. “Just a few years ago, they approached me with concerns that their finances were so bad that they might close their doors at the Air Force museum,” Turner told the newspaper. “With their recent decision to relocate the enshrinement dinner, the question has arisen again as to the ability to meet their financial needs. I’m very concerned that the long-term viability of the National Aviation Hall of Fame is at risk.” The NAHF operates a public exhibit and Learning Center in Dayton and each fall, announces new enshrinees for wide-ranging contributions to aviation and aerospace.
